Housebound with the Blackridge Heirs novel Chapter 62

**Change Begins With You — Jayden Collins 62**
**Chapter 62**

**Maya**

As soon as Caden stepped out of my room, an unsettling stillness enveloped the space. The silence felt oppressive, weighed down by the unspoken words lingering in the air between us.

The sensation of his hands on my skin still buzzed like static electricity, a lingering reminder of his touch.

My lips tingled, still echoing the urgency of his kiss, as if he were trying to siphon the very breath from my lungs.

And deep within my chest, an ache throbbed, a guilt I couldn’t quite unravel, twisting in knots I didn’t know how to loosen.

I perched on the edge of the bed, my fingers entwined in the blankets where he had lain just moments before. The warmth he left behind felt almost spectral, brushing against my skin, whispering memories I wished to forget.

Why did I push him like that?

What was it that compelled me to demand proof of his feelings?

Why couldn’t I simply embrace my love for him, untainted by the distractions that Leo and Tylon presented? Why did my body betray me every time one of them entered the room, igniting a confusing mix of emotions?

My feelings were a tangled mess, a chaotic web I couldn’t hope to separate. And the knowledge that he could sense even a fraction of my turmoil through our bond made the shame burn even more intensely.

With a heavy sigh, I pushed myself off the bed, dragging a hand down my face in frustration. I needed fresh air, or perhaps water, or even a divine intervention to clear the fog in my mind. Maybe standing by the window would bring some clarity.

I crossed the room and pulled the curtains aside, only to freeze in shock at the sight before me.

Three enormous wolves stood at the edge of the trees, dark and still, their eyes locked on me with an intensity that sent chills down my spine.

They weren’t as massive as the heirs’ wolves, but they were certainly larger than the one that had attacked me that fateful night. A gut feeling warned me that if I were ever at the mercy of these three, there would be no escape.

Their bodies were low and tense, poised like soldiers ready for battle. The colors of their eyes were not the warm gold and silver I recognized from the Blackridge wolves; instead, they burned with a sharp, cold amber that felt utterly wrong—so wrong that it made my skin crawl.

One of them lifted its head, as if sensing my presence, locking its gaze directly on my window.

It snarled, the sound low and menacing, and the other two followed suit, their eyes glinting with a predatory hunger.

Jackpot.

My breath hitched in my throat, and I stumbled back, tripping over my own feet and hitting the floor with a dull thud. My heart raced, pounding so loudly in my chest that it drowned out all other sounds.

They saw me. It felt as though they recognized me.

In that fleeting moment, the look in their eyes told me they were searching for someone. They had found me.

With trembling resolve, I forced myself back to my feet and crawled toward the curtains, peeking through a narrow slit.

All three wolves remained fixated on my window, and my stomach twisted violently, threatening to expel its contents.

“Caden,” I whispered, the name escaping my lips before I could stop it.

That was when I realized the bond between us had gone eerily silent.

He had blocked me out. An odd ache formed in the pit of my stomach, a hollow feeling that gnawed at me. I had shut him out before when he became too annoying with his usual Caden antics, but this was different. Knowing he was so close yet deliberately keeping me at bay made my insides churn.

Anger flared within me, hot and immediate. He blocked me? At a time like this?

My pulse quickened as I glanced back at the wolves, wondering if I would have to face them alone. But then, something shifted in the shadows, and two familiar shapes emerged from the trees.

They weren’t more strange wolves; they were wolves I recognized.

“Caden! You can’t just lock me inside!” I shouted, my voice echoing in the empty room.

How could he have managed to lock everything without my noticing?

“Stay inside, Maya. I know you, and I know you’ll try to come after us, which will only distract us, get us killed, and you kidnapped.”

And just like that, the bond slammed shut again, leaving me in a state of disbelief.

“Are you kidding me?” I yelled at the door, my frustration boiling over. “This is not staying inside material!”

I rushed to the other window, shoving the curtain aside just in time to see the three strange wolves pivot and sprint into the forest. Leo and Caden immediately followed, kicking up leaves and dirt as they disappeared beyond the first line of trees.

“Caden!” I shouted again, even though I knew he couldn’t hear me anymore. Not through the walls… Not with the bond muted.

My hands shook uncontrollably, forcing me to press them against the glass to steady myself.

All I could see now was the dark expanse of the forest. There was no movement, as if nothing had ever been there—like I had imagined it all.

They were out there, alone.

And while I had faith in them, those wolves appeared so cold-hearted… so cold-blooded.

Were Leo and Caden truly ready to do whatever it took to survive?

And what would you have done? The voice in my mind was as clear as day, echoing the truth I didn’t want to face.

A wave of nausea washed over me.

What in the actual hell was that?